The BLT-ini and its accouterments at Maze.
photo: Cindy Chen
The dish that stole the show in this year’s prestigious Great British Menu competition is none other than the humble BLT… but not quite as you know it. Jason Atherton, head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s maze, has transformed the sandwich from canteen snack to über-modernist statement. It’s no wonder that it beat the other appetisers at the final banquet a couple of weeks ago. Those who are sad the show is over – as well as fans of avant-garde cuisine – should be pleased to know that they can order this very dish from the tasting menu at maze.
Don’t come looking for a standard 'wich with two slices of bread. Atherton’s version, served in a martini glass, has a tomato-jelly base – fresh and tangy like a jellified Bloody Mary. Next comes a hit of sweet onion cream followed by crisp shards of bacon and tempura onion rings. The crescendo is a shot glass of lettuce soup for the diner to douse over the rest. For £8, it even comes with finger of brioche croque monsieur, which also appeared on the show.
Atherton developed his passion for playing around with the textures and flavours of food through his training under the godfather of molecular gastronomy, Ferran Adrià, at Spain’s el Bulli restaurant. Other deconstructed dishes on maze’s French menu of small plates include the innocuous sounding ‘crab salad’ – flaked crab topped with spiced tomato sorbet, cucumber carpaccio and apple jelly (£8.50), and a ‘peanut butter sandwich’ – smooth peanut parfait encased in almond bricelet biscuits and topped off with a scoop of cherry sorbet (£6.50).
– Eleanor Smallwood